Syrian army has retaken control of the ancient town of Palmyra from Islamic State (IS)terrorists.

The Syrian media reported on Sunday morning that the government troops had liberated Palmyra located 215 km from Damascus and started mine-clearing in the streets of the town.

Syrian president Bashar Assad said on Syrian TV that the liberation of Palmyra is "an important achievement and another indication of the success by the army."

"The liberation of the historic city of Palmyra today is an important achievement and another indication of the success of the strategy pursued by the Syrian army and its allies in the war against terrorism," he said.

IS took control of Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site, last summer after government forces retreated from the city.

Russian president Vladimir Putin congratulated president Assad on retaking the ancient city from IS. Putin stressed the importance of preserving the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

His country has been providing the Syrian forces with military support to defeat IS.

"In a telephone conversation with the Syrian president, Vladimir Putin congratulated his counterpart on retaking the city of Palmyra from terrorists and noted the importance of preserving this unique historic site for world culture," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday, RT quoted him as saying.

U.N Secretary Genral Ban Ki Moon also welcomed the recapture of Palmyra, adding that "the extremist terrorists, they have been not only killing brutally people, they have been destroying human civilizations," at a news conference in Amman, Jordan.

The U.N. chief says that "we are encouraged and fortunate" that Syrian troops retook Palmyra. He says he is also encouraged that Syria's government "will try to not only preserve and protect, but try to restore" the site, Reuters reported on Sunday.

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